as in mercy
kind, gentle, or compassionate treatment especially towards someone who is undeserving of it
a social critic who argues that judicial lenity is chiefly to blame for the increased criminality that plagues us
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Recent Examples of lenity
Twelve judges sided with Cargill and concluded that the definition of machine gun was ambiguous enough to invoke a legal principle known as the rule of lenity, which requires courts to interpret unclear criminal laws in a way that's most favorable to the defendant.
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Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
The majority’s treatment of the rule of lenity also strikes a slightly sour note.
—The Insider, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
If the rule of lenity applies here, then Butler should not be charged with a hate crime.
—Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 25 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lenity
Noun
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This puts students at the mercy of college administrators, with no recourse to get a full refund or time to enroll at another undergraduate program.Paul Weinstein Jr., Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
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His mother, Connie Underwood, tearfully asked the board to grant her son mercy.CBS News, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But while plenty of controversial picks remain, some Democrats have expressed leniency — even excitement — to cross the aisle and vote in favor of some of them.Donica Phifer, Axios, 8 Dec. 2024
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However, Khan’s words don’t mean there won’t be some leniency in language or subject matter.Brian Mazique, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The move, announced last week, marks the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.Emma Withrow, Baltimore Sun, 19 Dec. 2024
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The clemency action was widely disapproved by the public.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near lenity
Cite this Entry
“Lenity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lenity. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
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